Chicken won't come out of coop

[susan1981]

I have 2 chickens. One of them is about 3 or 4 (I think - I can't remember when we got them exactly). She's seemed a little less lively over this past year. She often just sits in the garden sleeping. We have another chicken who is about a year younger and she's very lively.

This morning, the younger chicken has come out and is running around the garden, but my older chicken hasn't come out. She's just sitting in her coop. I'm just wondering if she's dying? I don't think she's broody or anything like that. We've had a broody chicken before and she definitely isn't behaving like that. I don't even really know how long chickens live for. I'm not sure what breed she is, I think a white sussex.

 

[Hamiam]

Susan, can you copy your post & move it to chicken illness, emergencies forum. I know people more experienced will probably respond quicker at that thread.

 

[cavemanrich]

Hybrid chickens have a shorter lifespan than traditional heritage breeds and such. Hybrids do have the advantage of producing ether very many eggs or much meat in short time. Hybrid sexlinks for eggs can go to about 5 years. Meat birds rarely reach one year. They are usually processed at 8 weeks or more, depending on breed.
My chickens that are pets, live long lives. My longest lived 13 years. Most recent old hen lived 11 years. Many others lived 8 or 9 years.
Your hen may be in poor health for the past year. All natural as with other animals and people, None are guaranteed equal in health.
WISHING YOU BEST.....

 

[susan1981]

Thank you Hamiam.

Cavemanrich, thanks, and what's a "meat bird"?

 

[Hamiam]

@Pyxis, I see your online, can you help Susan.

 

[cavemanrich]

Meat birds are what you get at the grocery store meat section. Many or most are cornish rock cross. Also commonly referred to as CX . Some times called broilers. The feed to meat ratio is the most economical. All chickens can be eaten as meat birds. Most of the dual purpose chickens are OK for utilizing them as egg layers and then process them once their production slows. Their meat is not as tender as CX. The feed $ to profit $ is also lower.

 

[Ashley McDaniel]

I'm sorry to hear this. In my personal experience, I had a 4 year old hen, she was a buff Orpington. I noticed that she started staying in the coop, sitting inside of a nesting box, rarely even coming down to eat or drink. So, I put a small bowl with feed right in the box with her and she ate it right up, along with a small bowl of water. This went on for a couple weeks. Then one morning I seen that she finally came out of the coop to sit in the sun, and to hang out with her new mate, Elvis, a Batman porcelain De Uccle rooster. The two were quite the odd pair lol Big Mama always kept to herself, and was not at the top of the pecking order so I was excited to see her take up with Elvis. He was so protective over her. Things were good for another week or so, then she started the old behavior again. I also noticed that she seemed a little lethargic. She didn't appear to have any illness or disease on the outside, but as you know, it's difficult to tell with chickens. So, she very well could have been sick, and I was unaware. Then one morning I went out to feed and water the flock, and I found her dead. Poor Elvis was standing right over her, still never leaving her side. He got upset when I removed her from the coop. I was devastated. My first thought was broody, but that was not the case. I believe it was simply her age that caught up with her. Now, this may not be the case at all for your bird, I'm just sharing my experience with you. Hopefully your hen is just under the weather and will be fine. But, it very well could be that she's lived out her life span. I wish you the best. PLEASE keep us updated if you will.

 

[susan1981]

Thanks. Ours are more just as pets, and they do produce some pretty good eggs, although this chicken hasn't been laying for a while, and with my experience of chickens to date, I know that the white ones often lay better than the the buff sussex (I think that's what my other chicken is).

We've had quite a few chickens over the years, but we're not going to get any more after these ones. So I'm hoping that if this one is on her way out, that the other one will be ok on her own.

 

[susan1981]

Thanks Ashley. Your chicken sounds a bit like mine. She just goes through phases. In the summer, she was just sitting facing the garage asleep. It was almost like she wasn't even there, not aware of her surroundings at all. Then she got better, but she's gone like this now, and I think this is the first time that she's not come out of her coop. She's also not been laying eggs for a while now. I'll let you know what happens.

 

[Ashley McDaniel]

I think she will be ok if her sister was to pass. I say this because I had a pair of RIR hens, Rosie and Big Red, who were inseparable! Rosie had a prolapsed vent and died from the infection it caused. Big Red wandered around looking for her for a few days, it was pitiful. But she quickly got close with one of my Ameraucanas and now she's back to her old self again. I also keep my chickens as pets, the eggs are just a bonus, but they're not why I keep my chickens. I got Big Mama from a friend who could no longer keep her, basically she was older and no longer producing, so she was no longer any use to them. So I took her in. She was 3 when I got her.